15 Email Marketing Hacks you Must Use Today.

Pandas, Penguins, Payday Loans, another month, another Google update.

This week, you hear social is the in-thing, no sooner than you implement the recommended strategies, Google devalues it. Next week, new tactic, and Google nukes it before you even have a chance to get up and running.

You start to wonder if an online presence is worth the hassle and cost. First off, yes it is. I know you may be fed up with Google’s antics, but there is a solution for you in email marketing. Yes, I mean connect with your customers and prospects via email. Sounds scary? It doesn’t have to be.

Email is one of the oldest online tools still available today.

While some marketers have used it to perpetuate spam, others have developed systems that allow them run their whole business through their email lists. You can do the same too. Remember that people on your email list chose to receive information from you, therefore having a large list will be beneficial for your business.

This article will show you 15 tips to get you up and running with using email lists to increase your profits.

As retro as it may sound, collecting email addresses with a sign up sheet at your business premises still works.

If you ship out physical goods, you can also include clear instructions on how customers can sign up for your email list.

You can create content that helps people in your industry; guides, white papers, videos. You can include a call to action for email subscription, at the end of the guide.

If your product involves offline demonstrations at conferences, fairs and local meetups, you can collect email addresses at the event.

Like many small business owners, you have a LinkedIn profile. Export your contacts from there to seed your email list.

Now that you have collected some emails, you need to focus on using the list for two basic purposes – Lead nurturing and Conversion. The following are five of our tips for writing and design of your email campaign.

Avoid Bland subject lines: Here is where knowing your audience comes into play. It is easier to write engaging content even for boring topics, if you actually know the target market.

Avoid complex, busy email layouts: Imagine if you load your all emails with GIFs, videos and pictures, yet your customers are trying to view them on a 7-inch phone screen. Keep it simple and aim to have a clear eye path through the email.

Be clear and concise with email marketing. Give them some value and tell them what to do next. Click a button, download this etc., always have a call-to-action.

Use time sensitive language. We are hard-wired to try and avoid loss in anything we do, so this tactic works. But only use it when necessary. Nothing leads to more people unsubscribing than sending them misleading messages.

Your message should engage and provide value to your readers. They should be able to readily decipher the answer to ‘What’s In It For Me’?

At this stage, your email campaigns should be yielding some returns. You may decide to increase the amount of subscribers you have. These tips will give you a springboard to launch your list growth.

You can take advantage of your existing social media standings and grow your email list. Include a shortened link to your email sign up form with all your social media posts.

Hold contests and giveaways. Most social media platforms allows you to host contests and collect data; using apps like Rafflecpter, Offerpop and Curlate.

You can use the data from your market research to run highly targeted Facebook ads to get more email subscribers.

Incentivise everyone! – Employees can be incentivised with bonuses and repeat customers with discounts.

If you make sales online, add an option to opt-in as part of your checkout process. At this point, you know these are engaged customers who won’t feel pressured when you send them emails.

These 15 tips can be applied to any small business to help grow your email list. At Search and More, our team of experienced marketers can help your business grow using social media strategies, email marketing, optimized web properties etc. Contact us today.